With his living conditions improved and the IR1901 situation resolved, Luoshu turned his attention to the three milestones in the Anomalous Item Catalog.
The requirements for Anomaly Discoverer and Anomaly Namer were still unclear, but Containment Specialist seemed close to leveling up.
The Catalog now had 19 pages—thanks to IR1901 generously counting its return to SCP-126's containment unit as Luoshu's achievement.
[Page: 19]
[Item Number: SCP-126]
[Designation: The Invisible Friend]
[Object Class: Euclid]
[Image: …]
[Description: …]
[Special Containment Procedures: …]
[Anomalous Ability: Perception Block. You think it's just invisibility? No—this is an anti-memetic effect. ]
[Status: Successfully Contained]
[Contact History: Click to Play]
[O]
Luoshu's eyes lit up.
Perception Block was another form of anti-memetics, but with key differences from SCP-055's Unobservability.
Perception Block made him imperceptible—even to those on mnestic enhancers. Ideal for observation.
Unobservability allowed him to act without being remembered. Ideal for intervention.
But the real takeaway?
The Catalog was at 19 pages. One more, and it might level up.
The Containment Specialist milestone had unlocked at 10 pages. Would 20 pages trigger an upgrade?
If so, what would it do? Double the usage limits again?
That seemed… too easy.
If upgrades came every 10 pages, with IR1901's help, Luoshu could farm anomalies like XP and become unstoppable in days.
Yeah, no. The universe (and the author) wouldn't allow that.
Still, he had to try.
He and IR1901 agreed to sneak out nightly, re-containment one or two SCPs to push the Catalog to 20 pages.
Each outing would last one hour—the max duration for two uses of Perception Block.
Traveling between floors? SCP-055's Unobservability would handle the checkpoints.
Two abilities, two uses each. Perfect efficiency.
Without Perception Block, this plan would've been impossible.
Operation: SCP-005
The next night, the two invisible operatives began their mission.
To avoid drawing attention, they started with Safe-class anomalies.
"Our first target is SCP-005," IR1901 suggested.
Luoshu instantly recognized the designation.
SCP-005 - "The Skeleton Key"
A key that could open any lock, bypass any security.
Perfect.
Luoshu smirked. "With this, we can access any containment unit."
Most units required Level-2 clearance; critical ones needed Level-4. Guards were just doormen—they couldn't open cells themselves.
The Skeleton Key? Total access.
"But where is it?" In Luoshu's memory, the file never specified its location.
IR1901 chuckled. "Where else? Site-19, of course."
No shit.
"Which. Unit."
IR1901 relented. "You'll love this—it's in the Site Director's office. Top-right desk drawer."
Makes sense.
The key was harmless, non-threatening. Letting the Site Director keep it was logical.
IR1901's familiarity suggested prior thefts. Now, it was testing Luoshu.
Fine. I'll play.
The Infiltration
The real challenge? Getting into the office.
The Site Director's workspace had Euclid-level security. Uninvited guests weren't welcome.
Through the bulletproof glass, IR1901 pointed. "There. First drawer. Rest is up to you."
Translation: "Show me what you've got."
Luoshu understood.
He couldn't rely on IR1901 forever. If he wanted repeat access to the key, he needed to solve this himself.
Option 1: Wait for an opening.
Too slow. Perception Block has a time limit.
Option 2: Trick someone into opening the door.
Risky. Requires social engineering.
Option 3: Exploit a security flaw.
Possible. Even the Foundation isn't perfect.
Luoshu activated Perception Block and approached the door.
The keycard scanner glowed red. Access denied.
But beside it—a biometric pad.
Ah.
The Foundation relied on two-factor authentication:
Keycard (something you have)
Retina scan (something you are)
Most staff only needed one. High-clearance areas required both.
The Site Director's office? Probably both.
But here was the flaw:
The system didn't log failed attempts.
If someone brute-forced the scanner with random keycards, it wouldn't trigger alarms.
And the retina scanner?
Luoshu grinned.
SCP-005 wasn't just for physical locks.
It could spoof electronic ones too.
He just needed to get the key first.
The Heist
Timing was everything.
When the next authorized person approached, Luoshu:
Shadowed them inside (Perception Block hiding him).
Grabbed SCP-005 the moment the drawer was opened.
Used it to clone their access privileges.
Now he had a master key.
IR1901 watched, impressed. "Not bad. But can you keep it?"
Luoshu smirked. "Who says I need to?"
He didn't need the physical key—just its anomalous properties.
One touch was enough.
The Catalog updated:
[New Ability: Lock Manipulation]
[Effect: Open/override any mechanical or electronic lock.]
[Duration: 10 minutes per use.]
Perfect.
Now, no door in Site-19 could stop him.
The Next Target
With 20 pages reached, the Catalog pulsed.
[Containment Specialist Milestone: Level Up!]
[Ability Enhancements:]
Persuasion: 4 uses/day (↑ from 2)
Neck Snap: 4 uses/day (↑ from 2)
Mental Enslavement: 2 uses/day (↑ from 1)
No duration increase. Just more charges.
Good enough.
IR1901 leaned in. "Where to next?"
Luoshu's eyes gleamed.
"Somewhere fun."